Promise
by Lexifer666
Summary: Based on a Tumblr request with Raph and Karai growing up together in the Foot that took on a life of it's own. Now a series of drabbles in the same AU that will look at Raphael's life experiences and how they shape him. I do not own the TMNT.
1. Promise

anonymous said:

writing promt: raph and karai as siblings in the foot, any situation

**First prompt ficlet! Sorry anon, this kind of turned into a prequel of your request!**

* * *

><p><span><strong>PROMISE<strong>

Karai managed to slip away from the low-ranked Foot soldier charged with babysitting her in a matter of minutes. It was too easy at the crowded docks, and Father had already started teaching her how to be a kunoichi. She was drawn to the enormous, colorful shipping crates and ran down the pebbled aisles between them, arms flung out to either side, pretending to fly like an airplane.

A metallic clank made her stop in her tracks, her heart skipping. She didn't want to go back to the boring warehouse already. She heard sniffles, then the crunch of footsteps retreating in the gravel. She followed the noise as silently as possible before revealing herself dramatically around the corner of a red container. "Hah!"

Nothing could have prepared her for the shocked turtle boy that shrunk back from her. The front part of his shell was yellowish and the rest of him was green, even his eyes. He stood and balled his fists suddenly, glaring at her, his cheeks moist.

"Are you crying?"

"No!" he denied angrily.

A slash marked him down one shoulder. Whatever made the wound had embedded into his shell, taking a jagged sliver with it.

"Who hurt you?" Karai asked.

"Everyone that's seen me," he growled.

He was so small and cute, she couldn't imagine anyone wanting to harm him. "I won't hurt you," she assured him quickly.

"Huh, I'm not scared of you," he quipped, his hands relaxing.

"I am a ninja. I could beat you up if I wanted to."

"Suuure," he drawled, rolling his eyes.

"I'm Karai. I'm almost six years old," she said cheerfully.

The turtle boy looked her over and shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I'm Raphael. I'm four."

"That's a funny name," Karai giggled, and Raphael scowled at her. "Do you live here? Where is your family?"

He looked down at the ground forlornly, and his eyes misted up again. "I fell into the water and this hole opened up and I thought I was gonna drown but I got dumped out into the lake. I'm lost. My dad probably thinks I'm dead," he said morbidly.

"How about your mother?" Karai asked.

"I don't have one. I have brothers. I want to go home," he whined, his bottom lip jutting out.

"I don't have a mother _or_ brothers," she said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself solemnly.

Raphael hadn't meant to make her sad, so he hugged her and apologized like Sensei had taught him to do when he made his brothers cry. She hugged him back and was soft and warm and the first nice thing to happen to him in days.

"Raphael, do you want to be my brother?" she asked hopefully. "I'm always by myself. I could take you home with me on our plane tonight."

Raphael shook his head no. Surely his father would find him soon. _Right?_

"I have to go back now before I get in big trouble," Karai sulked, letting go of him and walking away. She turned once to wave, and Raphael automatically lifted his hand to copy her.

He shivered as her warmth left him. He had passed day after day waiting for Sensei, tired, cold, hungry, hurt, scared and lonely. His lip trembled with indecision as Karai started to disappear down the row. He could have a home. Today.

"Wait!" he called shakily. "Karai, I wanna go."

She stopped and her face lit up in a giant smile. Raphael ran to her, his arms circling her waist as he buried his face in her stomach. He squeezed his eyes shut and clung to her, letting the terrors of his time fending for himself melt away. Karai pet his head and took his hand, leading him out into the world of men.

His hand trembled as they walked out into the open. Karai turned and looked down at him, an amber glint in her eye. "I'm your big sister now," she said seriously, "and I promise no one is _ever_ going to hurt you again."


	2. Welcome

**Summary:** Takes place directly after the events of _Promise_

**Words:** 575

**Rated:** K

**WELCOME**

Within seconds Oroku Saki's protesting daughter was returned to his side. The abomination she had brought with her stood secured by a chain coiled around it's middle, arms pinned. Two of his soldiers held katanas a few feet from it's head, awaiting orders. A third held the end the of the chain like a leash and stood directly behind the creature. It looked like something out of the myths of his youth, a large turtle that somehow walked upright.

Karai had been holding it's hand. He shuddered. "Get rid of it."

"No!" Karai screamed as one of the katana wielding soldiers took a step forward, raising his weapon. She tried to bolt forward but Saki caught her by the arm.

Her commotion was enough to distract his Foot soldiers and give them pause. He sneered. The orders of the Shredder were not to be second guessed, especially over the rantings of a child.

"I promised we wouldn't hurt him!" she went on hysterically, turning on him and trying to pry his hand from her arm. "I promised!"

"Silence!" he commanded harshly, giving her a backhanded swat that made her sink to her knees.

"Karai!" it shouted, heaving itself towards them and managing to drag the man holding it's chain forward a few feet. Startled, it's would-be executioner took a step back, keeping the katana between them warily.

Shredder raised a hand to signal everyone to stop. It was not just an animal. It could speak, and it had a child's voice. He closed the distance between them with a purposeful stride until he towered over it. "What are you?"

It glared up at him defiantly with angry green eyes, teeth clenched and still straining against the chains. "I'm a mutant," it growled.

Shredder's gaze flicked up to the soldier holding him captive. It was taking a solid effort to keep the freak at bay. What he first thought was a large turtle was actually a very young mutant turtle boy. Even at this size, injured and barely chest height to his daughter, he was strong enough to pull a grown man and unnerve another who was an armed martial artist. What would this thing grow into? Saki considered the potential of what he could mold him into, a truly nightmarish ally.

"Settle yourself," Saki ordered, the tone of his voice carrying enough weight to still him. The obedience pleased him, as did the seemingly automatic desire to protect Karai. "Release him." As the chains snaked down to clatter on the pavement, Saki knelt and slid a bladed gauntlet beneath his chin, examining him closely. He was filthy, and the wound on his shoulder looked infected, but otherwise he seemed sound.

Saki pulled up to his full height once again and gestured for his daughter. Karai scampered over excitedly, and the sight of her smiling and undamaged made the anger fade from those green eyes.

"Raphael!" She clung to his hand once more. "Can he come home with us, Father? Please? He's all alone."

A frown of distaste hidden behind his mask, Shredder addressed him. "If I take you in, you will live under my rules, under whatever discipline I see fit and train as a soldier of my clan. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Raphael answered. It didn't seem like anything less than what Splinter had expected from him.

"You will call me Master," he corrected.

"Yes, Master."

Saki grinned wickedly to himself. "Welcome to the Foot."


	3. Brave

**Summary:** Takes place the same day as _Promise_ and _Welcome_

**Words:** 552

**Rated:** K

**BRAVE**

"Be brave," Karai told Raphael as they were separated once again. Immediately he was ashamed of how obvious his fear was.

Shaken from his first experience riding in the enclosed space of a car, Raphael willed himself to put one foot in front of the other as he was led into a large building by the very creatures he had always been taught to avoid. He sat stiffly in a warm bathtub as he was scrubbed almost raw from head to toe but did not complain. His heart almost stopped when he was left alone in a room with a man who laid open a case of medical tools and looked upon him with equal measures of fascination and repulsion. Raphael remained silent and cooperative, though his body trembled as he remembered the casual way Donnie had once described what a scientist would likely want to do with them before Splinter scolded him into silence. After minimal poking and prodding, the man only bandaged his shoulder and forced him to swallow a syringe full of foul tasting liquid.

Raphael thought the worst had passed once he was returned to Karai's side for his second trip in a car. He could do this, he knew what to expect this time and the warmth of her hand had returned to his. He was even able to smile at her enthusiastic chatter and ignore the suspicious stares of the adults accompanying them. He lost his resolve once again when Karai pulled him onto a private runway where their jet awaited them. There was absolutely zero cover, nothing but flat plains and roads all around him in broad daylight. The jet itself was so much larger and noisier than anything Raphael had ever expected.

Employees that had yet to know of their Master's newest acquisition exclaimed at the sight of him or let their hands rest upon weapons at their belts. Shredder's spiked shadow fell over the two children and his gaze flowed over his men impassively as he led his wards to the stairway of the plane. No one dared question him, and Raphael felt safe and protected in his wake.

Once aboard, he still squeezed his eyes shut in terror and gripped Karai's hand like a vice as the roar of the engines kicked up before take-off, rattling through his small body as the jet charged down the runway. When he finally gathered up the courage to look out the window at the vast expanse of fluffy clouds and glittering ocean, his stomach lurched up into his throat. Not in fear this time, but in the realization of how hopelessly far from home he was, of the permanence of his decision. Guilt bit into his young mind. He hadn't been able to wait any longer for his family, and now he would never see them again.

Karai caught the sadness in his eyes and she stopped talking mid-sentence, crestfallen. "Aren't you excited?" she asked.

"Yeah," Raphael said, forcing a smile. "Of course." He had no idea what she had been talking about that he was supposed to be excited for and made himself pay attention. She was trying to help him. She was the only person in this new world that cared about him and he couldn't fail her. _Be brave_, he told himself.


	4. Smokescreen

**Summary:** Shredder takes Raphael aside for a friendly chat. Takes place 3-4 weeks after _Brave_

**Words:** 891

**Rated:** K

**SMOKESCREEN**

Upon their return to the sprawling Japanese estate and headquarters of the Foot Clan, Shredder had presented Raphael to his household and organization without comment or explanation. He took a certain satisfaction in the shock and fear his new pet inspired, as well as the swirl of fantastic rumors over how he had acquired a_ Kappa Yokai_. Even his daughter was being looked upon with a type of reverence for her ability to so completely tame and control the young 'demon'.

Saki made it clear that the boy was not to be harmed and allowed to do as he wished. This gave him the opportunity to observe how Raphael behaved when left to his own devices. Immediately it was clear that something as simple as walking down a bright hallway caused him distress. He was slow to trust and only spoke in front of four people; Saki, Karai, her nanny and her English tutor. He accompanied Karai everywhere and played to all of her whims. Yumi, the English teacher, reported that someone had taught him the alphabet, how to write his name and how to count to 20. In the dojo he had known to bow at the entrance and to the shrine before following along in Karai's private instruction. He was certainly a novice, but Saki could see that someone had been laying a foundation for future training and it made him curious.

Shredder waited patiently, sitting comfortably on the floor of his meditation room atop a zabuton. A few feet away his Miko knelt upon her cushion, tying a swath of dried herbs and plants together deftly despite her gnarled hands. Her wrinkled forehead creased even more at the arrival of the nervous turtle, then she lit a cone of incense in a brass bowl set before her. The flames of a few candles were the only light in the room but Saki could see Raphael's fear and confusion clearly.

Saki gestured to the cushion a few feet away from himself, next to the Miko. "Sit."

Raphael did as he was told, sitting cross-legged on the zabuton and watching the old woman guardedly.

"You have been among us for a few weeks now," Saki started. "Are you finding everything to your liking?"

"Y-yes, Master," he answered tentatively.

"What is it, Boy? Something troubles you."

Raphael averted his eyes. "I miss my family, Master."

"Tell me about them."

"I have three brothers just like me, and a Father, Master Splinter. He found us in the sewers when we were babies and took care of us."

Shredder tilted his head slightly. The Miko was humming under her breath, so quietly he couldn't pinpoint when she had begun. "What is he a master of?"

"Ninjutsu. He was starting to teach us."

Saki's sharp intake of breath made Raphael flinch, as if he was in trouble for the words he had spoken. "Who did he learn from?" Shredder demanded.

"I-I don't know, he never told us. He said he used to be a man."

"And now he's a turtle, like you? Mutated?" Saki asked.

"He's a rat," Raphael answered, starting to tremble under Shredder's sharp gaze.

Oroku Saki paused, contemplative, wondering what man this rat might have been. Likely no one of much consequence if he was American. It seemed like fate was at hand here, but Saki believed in creating his own destiny. He nodded to his Miko, who ran the end of her bundle through a candle flame. This creature he had taken in was going to be a very useful tool, but he needed to be certain of it's loyalty. The old lady swirled the smoking talisman through the incense, brought it up between her and the turtle, and blew the sharp smelling smoke directly into Raphael's face.

Raphael tried to wheel away but Shredder's voice commanded him to be still. He coughed and his eyes watered, but he obeyed.

"You will be awarded a great many things if you work hard in the Foot Clan," Saki said smoothly. "A home most people can only dream of, power and rank. All you need to do is let go of them. They abandoned you. They are not your family anymore."

Raphael resisted. "But..." Another wave of smoke was blown into his face and he coughed once more, sucking in great lungfuls of the acrid air.

"They abandoned you," Saki continued. "They didn't want you, but I do. I can see the potential that they did not." He observed as the young mutant rubbed his eyes and looked at him blearily. All he needed now was reinforcement from within Raphael. "Why did they cast you out?"

The boy blinked heavily, face framed by smoke, and began to weep silently.

"Answer me!"

Raphael sobbed out loud. "I was mean to my brothers," he confessed in a rush. "I made them cry and I made Splinter mad and they didn't want me anymore."

Shredder had to hold back a chuckle. This was perfection. Raphael's inner fear was the final nail in his coffin. Saki smiled. "Where do you belong, Boy?"

"Here, Master."

"Who is your family?"

"You and Karai, Master," he replied, wiping tears away from his bloodshot eyes.

"What will you give me in return for my generosity?"

"Anything, Master."


	5. Snow

**Summary:** Raphael's first snow day in Chiyoda, Japan. Takes place a few months after _Smokescreen_. Raphael is 4 and Karai is 5.

**Rating: **K

**Word Count:** 800

**SNOW**

"Raphael!" Karai cried happily. She jumped onto his bed, disrupting his comfort with a jolting bounce.

"Go away," he grumbled crankily, trying to push her off the mattress with his foot. Why did she always have to wake him up so early?

"Come on, get up! It snowed!" she said breathlessly.

"So what?" he demanded.

Karai braced herself but stilled, Raph's foot still pressed against her shoulder. "So what?!" she echoed incredulously. "There's tons of it everywhere, I've never seen so much snow!"

Karai jumped down and Raphael hid his head under the blanket as her footfalls thudded away. _Ugh, snow._ Why would anyone be excited about snow? All it did was conjure memories of miserably frigid nights passed under patched up quilts. Splinter would curl around them to keep them huddled together and as warm as possible.

By the time his dresser drawer had been ransacked and Karai's feet padded back over to his bed, Raphael was in a sour mood. The memories of his old life were too painful to bear, and quickly he tried to bury them deep within his mind.

"Put this on, let's go play!" she shouted directly into the blanket.

Raphael burst out of his covers and tackled her with a growl. She let out a high pitched peel of laughter and planted a foot on his plastron, pushed up, and tipped him over her and onto the floor. Raph yanked her arm as he went down and they both hit hardwood in a tangle of blankets and limbs.

"You're dead meat!" Raphael yelled, but there was an edge of laughter to his voice and a grin on his face. They struggled to free themselves from the snarl of linen while shoving each other back down simultaneously.

"You're so grumpy in the morning," Karai squawked, escaping from the blanket prison first. She grabbed a thick, red woolen cloak and tossed it at him. "Put this on," she repeated, then ran out into the hall. "Uba, he's up now," she hollered as she went back to her own room.

Raphael scowled and tugged the garment on over his head as their nanny called out, "Raphael-san?" He stomped into the hall with the most ornery expression he could muster.

"Mornin' Takara," he mumbled. Raph preferred to call her by her name instead of _Uba_ like Karai did. The idea of having a nanny at all made him feel babyish.

Takara planted a hand on her hips and gave him a stern glare. At just under five feet tall and well into her 50's, somehow she managed an imposing enough presence to make him straighten his posture and feel guilty. "Proper greeting," she said with a heavy accent.

"Ohayō gozaimasu, Takara-san," he amended with a slight bow.

She smiled and returned the gesture, then clucked her tongue as Karai burst out of her room with her jacket on and boots in hand. The children trailed Takara as she led them to the courtyard to play. Karai took Raphael's hand and he stuck his tongue out at her, but didn't pull away. Once outside he sighed. "_This_ is a lot of snow?"

"Yes!"

Raphael was underwhelmed. There was maybe an inch of snowfall from the night before covering the courtyard. "This is nothing. In New York it would be over our heads."

Karai was too excited to let Raphael bring her down and ran through it excitedly, kicking white power up as Raph rolled his eyes next to Takara. Then Karai lobbed a small, icy cold snowball right into his face, laughed, and ducked behind one of the few skeletal trees. It was on. Raphael picked up two fist fulls of snow and was packing it into a little ball even as he sprinted to her tree. She was ready for him and got in another shot to the crook of his neck before he could retaliate with his own frozen ammo. Raphael chased her, running between trees and laughing as snow flew in all directions between them. By the time he caught her and their wrestling had lapsed into them just mashing snow into each other, Takara called them in with the lure of a hot breakfeast.

This time Raphael ran to her with Karai, all smiles, shedding puffs of glistening flakes with every movement. Takara put her hand on Raphael's head for a moment affectionately and turned to say something to Karai in Japanese.

Karai giggled and Raphael looked between them suspiciously. Karai translated. "She says the cloak she made for you looks adorable, and that red is your color."


	6. Hands

**Summary:** Raphael struggles with the fine print. Takes place a few months after _Snow_. Raphael is 5 and Karai is 6.

**Word count: **681**  
><strong>

**Rated: **K

**HANDS**

_Crack!_

The more frustrated Raphael got, the tighter his hold became on his pencil, which snapped like a twig in his hands. With only three thick digits, it was difficult for him to hold the writing utensil properly to make the neat and precise marks needed for kanji. This latest casualty earned him a sympathetic glance from their language tutor and he felt his irritation rise even more so.

"Raphael-san," Yumi said in a sweet, lilting voice, "we can continue tomorrow. Our lesson is nearly over."

"No, I want to finish it," Raphael said stubbornly through clenched teeth, glaring at the last few words he was supposed to replicate.

Karai wordlessly handed him a pencil from her case as she completed a few simple sentences in English next to him.

In truth, it was about the last thing Raphael wanted to do, but he was determined. Holding the pencil gingerly, he continued.

Master Shredder had told him in no uncertain terms that he needed to learn how to read and write fluently in both English and Japanese. He had demanded very little of Raphael so far, and Yumi, Karai's English teacher, had been very eager to help him along in both languages. The young mutant was loathe to disappoint either of them. He couldn't bear the possibility of failing Shredder and being cast away by a second Master, rejected by a second family.

As for Yumi, he knew that she would never be so harsh. His drive to please her came from warmth, not fear.

Months ago, when Raphael had still been new to this place, the humans had frightened him. Splinter had always taught him to be cautious and keep away from people. He didn't know any Japanese and couldn't understand what anyone said, though that had likely been a blessing. A week of watching the reactions of the staff and Foot members actually setting eyes on him for the first time, discovering for themselves that his existence was not just a rumor, had left him feeling dejected. Even Takara, their nanny, had struggled not to stare at him for the first few days.

He had been reluctant to let Karai introduce him to Yumi, but she always got her way and had dragged him into the study for her English lesson. Raphael had been surprised to find that Yumi was a very young woman, tall and slender with short black hair that framed her delicate, doll-like face. She had taken one look at him and trilled, "_Baby Kappa!_" Besides Karai, Yumi was the only human to ever be genuinely delighted to meet him, and despite her calling him a baby, Raphael couldn't help but adore her immediately.

Concentrating, he finished the last few strokes of the kanji for 'home', then recited all of the words he had written to Yumi in Japanese. "Well done," she praised with a smile.

They both turned their attention on Karai as she finished the small paragraph she had written, Yumi checking her lettering and Raphael watching her hand. Karai's tiny, delicate-looking fingers manipulated the pencil easily; it seemed to float across her page with confident grace. He could practice forever and never match her effortless dexterity.

Raphael made a fist, unnoticed as Karai read her work aloud to Yumi. They had training next and he hoped Sensei would wrap his knuckles again and set him loose on the new punching bag. His fists were already the size of a mans and had destroyed their first training dummy. Intuitively he was sure that his hands would only ever excel at wreaking havoc.

Yet as they were dismissed and burst from their seats in a flurry of pent-up energy to head to the dojo, Karai's porcelain digits wrapped tightly around one of his own. Always she held his hand whenever they flitted from one place to the next, as if afraid to lose him. As if he wouldn't willingly follow her anywhere.


	7. Sensei

**Summary:** The inner musings of Raph and Karai's sensei. Takes place immediately after _Hands_. Raphael is 5 and Karai is 6.

**Word Count:** 692

**Rated:** K

**SENSEI**

Ryota-Sensei awaited the strange pair in the dojo, pinning them to the spot with a harsh glare after they breezed in with silly smiles and rushed bows. They stood still and exaggeratedly straight, Karai abruptly dropping Raphael's hand when his eyes narrowed at them further. There was no hand-holding in the dojo, literally or figuratively. He made them leave and re-enter properly before acknowledging them as pupils.

The dojos of the Saki estate were well-known as the top martial arts training center in Tokyo, attracting students from all over Japan and even abroad. The facility also served as a legitimate business front and offered a wealth of talented fighters for consideration. Only the very best students were courted for entry into the Foot Clan to specialize in the style of ninjitsu that had been passed down through the shinobi lineage of the Foot for generations. Clan members used one of the three private dojos in the main buildings, which also housed Saki's private residence and the secretive hub of Foot activity, all off-limits to the public.

Ryota was one of Saki's most trusted soldiers and the head instructor for new Foot Initiates. In his late thirties and part of an influential political family, he understood the importance of appearances and manipulation. He turned crops of hopefuls into obedient weapons so gradually and masterfully that his students didn't even realize how he stripped away the mundane, leaving their lives consumed by the way of shadows. Finding themselves eventually alienated from civilian life, Shredder employed them as thieves, spies, assassins and soldiers for his underground crime empire. Those ambitious enough furthered their training and their rank.

As the daughter and ward of the Shredder, Karai and Raphael received world-class tutelage. They were on a rigid routine, and always came to Ryota for training directly after their private tutoring, brimming with pent up energy after having to sit still for hours. When they re-entered the dojo respectfully, he ran them through a challenging warmup so they would be able to focus on forms and kata exercises, then he had them spar. Though their growing co-dependence made him a bit uncomfortable, he had to admit that Raphael made the perfect sparring partner for Karai and had helped her progress by leaps and bounds in the last year. He was about her size but stronger; she was faster and knew more techniques. She pushed Raphael hard when they fought, forcing him to think quickly to defend. In return Raphael didn't hold back, giving Karai her first real challenge as they practiced the strikes, holds and blocks they had learned.

Oroku Saki himself personally took over their lessons at least twice a month, as time allowed. He wanted to test them, to make sure that they were progressing as planned along their fast-tracked regiment. Shredder intended to initiate them into the Foot Clan at twelve years old, the youngest a member could be accepted. Not only that, but he fully expected them to be at the top of their class among other Initiates of all ages. The potential was there, and Ryota would be handsomely rewarded for bringing it out in them.

In Karai he saw a future kunoichi, sly, swift and deadly; an honor to her family name.

As for Raphael, Ryota's first impression had been revulsion followed by carefully hidden skepticism that a mutant turtle could be agile or flexible enough for ninjitsu. How wrong he had been. Raphael learned quickly, lived and breathed for training and was deceptively powerful for his size.

Ryota smiled to himself as he watched Raphael rail on a punching bag. He had dismissed them and Karai had been eager to leave and bathe, but Raphael begged him in broken Japanese to wrap his hands and let him stay a while longer. Ryota's grin deepened as the 100lb bag meant for adults started to rock gently under Raphael's barrage. They were going to make a monster out of him.


	8. Mother

**Summary:** Raphael has a hard time dealing with emotions, especially when they belong to someone else. Set a few months after _Sensei._ Raphael is 5 and Karai is 6.

**Word count:** 1,081**  
><strong>

**Rating:** K

**MOTHER  
><strong>

Raphael awoke feeling strangely rested, peering suspiciously at the position of the sun in his window and the long shadows it cast in his room. It was Sunday, which meant no tutoring or training. He yawned and stretched leisurely, hoping he hadn't missed breakfast. Karai had actually let him sleep in for once. _I could get used to this, _he thought to himself, rubbing the crust from the corners of his eyes.

He finally got out of bed, eager to get outside into the balmy spring morning. The weather in Chiyoda was wonderful as far as he was concerned, despite all of the rain. It was warm most of the year and the coldest winter days here would merely be jacket weather for the hardened New Yorker. The Saki estate included acres of groomed gardens and park-like areas, as well as a huge tract of forest that bordered a national park. This afforded a great deal of privacy and Raphael was free to explore all of it as long as he didn't wander too close to the public buildings that skirted the opposite side of the property.

He ambled down the hall, intent on heading to the kitchen to find Karai and see what Takara had whipped up for them. A loud sniffle from Karai's bedroom made him stop mid-step. Discomfort fluttered up into his chest from his belly, putting him on edge. She was crying in her room. Raphael fidgeted on the spot for a few minutes, not knowing what to do. Karai had never cried around him before, not even that one time she had almost broken her elbow falling out of a tree.

Just as he had decided she must want to be alone and moved to continue on his way, she let out a loud sob followed by several more muffled ones. The noise sent a little jolt to his heart and he couldn't just walk away. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Raphael slid aside the door to her room and stepped inside, closing it behind him.

Karai was sitting in bed and hugging her pillow, face buried in the white cushion. On the mattress beside her was a photograph he had seen many times. Karai kept it in her nightstand, an old, torn photo of her as a baby being held by her mother. She didn't acknowledge Raphael until he had cautiously settled in next to her. She turned her head so her cheek rested on the pillow and she could look at him, her normally vibrant eyes dark and watery.

Raph didn't say anything. He didn't need to. He just waited, feeling tense. Slowly she calmed, working herself up to talking.

"Father is leaving again," she sighed, "but at least he told me himself this time."

Saki's business trips were not unusual and didn't tend to warrant more than some moping in Raphael's experience. He let his eyes wander to the small hands that clutched her pillow tightly; unable to meet her openly pained expression.

"I just…" she started, then stopped. She took a long breath and tried again. "I just want to know her. Every time I ask, all he tells me about is how she died, and sometimes that she loved me and would be proud of me, but why can't he tell me about how she_ lived_?" Karai demanded angrily, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "I want to know what her favorite flower was, if she liked to cook, what songs she used to sing to me….just….anything," she finished miserably.

Raphael had heard the story of Tang Shen's death, how Saki had avenged his wife by wiping out her murderer's entire clan. "At least you have a picture," Raphael offered weakly, feeling out of his depth. He couldn't understand how knowing such details about Shen would make Karai feel any better about being motherless.

Her brows knit together and she seemed almost ashamed, her lips forming an exaggerated O even as the sound escaped them. "Oh, Raphael, I'm sorry."

Raphael would never know his mother and she would never know him, even if they happened to meet by chance. Karai tossed aside her cushion and reclaimed the photo from her bed, opening her drawer to put it away.

"Don't," Raph said, catching her arm. "I'm fine." He couldn't handle it if she put away the only picture that soothed her because of him.

Karai brought her legs up over Raphael's lap with a sigh, leaning her knees into his plastron and her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her back as she rested the hand holding her photo on one of her knees and contemplated it, still sniffling. She needed the comfort of a warm, soft embrace, not the cool press of his shell. Raphael felt terribly inadequate, sure she would voice her discomfort soon and abandon him for her cushion once more.

"I'm glad you're here," Karai whispered, her eyes welling up.

Raphael blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Of course, stupid," she scoffed, shouldering him gently. "You promise not to leave?"

"Of course I promise, stupid," he mimicked teasingly, but her face remained serious, her bottom lip trembling. Desperately Raphael surveyed the room for a distraction, anything to keep her from weeping again. His gaze fell upon the sepia face of Tang Shen, her expression so familiar to him. "You look just like her when you smile," he said without thinking.

She went rigid for a few seconds, just long enough for him to start berating himself for his big mouth.

"I do?" Karai asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.

"Yeah," he answered honestly.

The corners of her mouth twitched up into a tentative grin, her face still damp and puffy, then laughed when Raphael's stomach growled loudly between them. "Let's go see what's for breakfast," she suggested.

Relieved, he watched Karai get up, wipe her tears away, and try to smooth herself over before heading to Takara's kitchen domain. If it meant that he didn't have to see her cry again, Raphael would happily never sleep in another morning.


End file.
